


My Golden Girl

by AnimeNerd666 (CrystalNavy)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bigotry & Prejudice, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Interracial Relationship, Sasha Blouse Lives, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Manga Spoilers, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Season/Series 04 Spoilers, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan-Typical Violence, Slow Burn, Spoilerfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:02:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29640642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalNavy/pseuds/AnimeNerd666
Summary: A tale of how a prisoner of war and a soldier slowly fell in love, survived their ordeals and went on to get married.
Relationships: Sasha Blouse/Niccolo
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	1. The Beginning of the Story (Prologue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niccolo and Sasha begin their story.

It was yet another successful hunt, at least from her perspective.

She lifted the deer onto her back and made her way back to her house, the same house she grew up in. Her husband came out to greet her. He was wearing an apron she gave him as a gift for his birthday a couple of months ago.

"I've got dinner!" she told him

"So you do." he smiled "You're still the same as you were when we first met, my gluttonous devil. I love you, Sasha."

"I love you too, Niccolo." she turned away, blushing

They were interrupted by pitter-patter of small feet. 

Mina poked her head in, followed by Thomas.

Sasha picked them up and kissed both of them on the forehead.

"We want a story, Momma." Mina pronounced "A story about how Papa and you met."

Niccolo and Sasha looked at one another. Marley and Eldia co-existed peacefully side-by-side these last few years, and the ban on marriage between Marleyans and Eldians was lifted. Though Eldians still faced some prejudice, that too was due to disappear in a few years. Still, neither Niccolo and Sasha were sure if they wanted to relive the time of war and their subsequent struggles.

Mina and Thomas' faces were irresistible, however, and they caved.

"Well, your father and I met on this very island seven years ago." Sasha began "This island, my home, was at war with another nation, Marley, and we were on opposing sides of the conflict. However, we soon realized that the whole war was not the way to go..."

\- Paradis Island, seven years ago -

"This is frustrating." Niccolo grumbled "Why do we have to deal with those island Devils? Why did I draw the short straw when it came to scouting ahead? And by myself, too..."

"I'd consider that a bonus." a voice spoke from somewhere to his left "After all, it means that you'd get to know us. Maybe you'll even realize that we're not as bad as we seem. Oh! Sorry, I forgot my manners. I am Hange. Hange Zoe. And you? What's your name?" 

Niccolo contemplated lying for a moment, before he decided lying was pointless.

"Niccolo." he told her "My name is Niccolo."

"Niccolo is a nice name." Hange said "I have a feeling you and I will get along great!"

She grasped his arm, and was ready to shake it, when he wrenched it out of her grasp.

"Don't touch me!" he growled "Filthy Devil!"

"Now, now." Hange's expression changed abruptly "I think you've misunderstood the situation, Niccolo. You see, we are the ones giving orders here."

And Niccolo felt it. There were about five more people present, waiting in the shadows.

"So it's in your best interests to cooperate with us." Hange clapped her hands "Let your fellow soldiers know that landing here is safe."

"Or I will have my way with you." a voice whispered in his ear

Niccolo looked down to see a man whose head reached his torso. He, however, knew when he was outclassed, and this man gave off an aura of power. Niccolo didn't doubt that he could make good on his threat.

So he reluctantly shot his rifle up into the sky, an agreed-upon signal to rendezvous on the shoreline.

"I think you scared him, Hange-san." two boys and a girl stepped out of the shadows

The one who had spoken was a slim girl of average height. Her hair was brown and tied up in a ponytail. She got closer to him and sniffed the air.

"You smell of food." she said

"I've...I've been preparing food for my fellow soldiers every now and then." Niccolo explained, feeling weird

His whole situation was weird.

"Now, get into position." Hange ordered "We have guests to welcome."

-Present time-

Mina and Thomas were asleep. Niccolo and Sasha took them upstairs and tucked them into their beds.

"You do know they'll want to hear more of the story, right?" Kaya looked up from her needlework 

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Niccolo said

"You were so weirded out when you first came to Paradis." Sasha giggled

"Well, it is understandable to be somewhat weirded out when you set foot on foreign soil and face the unexpected." Niccolo points out

"True." Sasha laughed, slotting herself against his side like a cat "But I sure am glad they sent you, otherwise we would have never met."

"Likewise." Niccolo admitted, wrapping his arm around her waist

He was blushing slightly.

"You were a prisoner then and you're a prisoner now." Sasha cooed "My prisoner. And I want you to please me."

"Well, that's a weird way of putting it, but it's true enough. Marriage is a special kind of prison." Niccolo said thoughtfully "Food or the other kind of pleasure?"

"Both." Sasha said "We can have a meal in bed. I know it's not one of Marley's traditions, but..."

Niccolo's face grew redder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am crazy about this pairing.


	2. The Prisoner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niccolo meets Zachary and Boris.

Mina rubbed her eyes, yawning, and Thomas followed behind her, carrying his toy rabbit.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Sasha asked

"We want to sleep with you." Thomas said

"And we want to hear more of the story." Mina added

"Are you sure?" Niccolo spoke up "It's not a pleasant story."

"We are." Mina said resolutely, and Thomas nodded

"Then we shall pick up from where we left off." Niccolo smiled slightly

-Seven years ago-

Niccolo shifted uncomfortably as the short man - whose name he was told is Levi - pressed a blade against the back of his neck.

"I am a Marleyan!" he said crossly "How dare y--mmphhh..."

"I don't appreciate the attitude." Levi whispered "Especially not from someone as filthy as you. You are getting a proper bath once we're done here."

"I am not filthy!" Niccolo cried, as soon as Levi removed a hand from his mouth "You are! You're all Devils!"

There was a sound of a boat being crashed against the shore.

"Greetings, men of Marley!" Hange spoke flamboyantly "Welcome to Paradis Island. We want to invite you to tea! Oh, and..."

Levi grabbed Niccolo and dragged him up onto a rock.

"Your friend that came here before you is here!" Hange made her way over to them, wrapping an arm around Niccolo's shoulder "We've gotten to know one another quite well. Didn't we, Niccolo?"

Niccolo inched away from her, even as she began playing with his face.

"Lay off, Hange." Levi said "I don't think he is interested in playing along with your skit."

"It'd be a shame if something happened to him." Hange addressed the others "So I suggest you accept our invitation."

"Captain!" Niccolo cried "Don't worry about me! Just shoot down these Devils!"

The Captain aimed, and Hange panicked briefly.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" she asked, composing herself "Take a good look at the Titan standing behind you."

Niccolo had to admit that the Titan in question was rather fearsome.

"We will not be intimidated!" the Captain got ready to fire

Then another gunshot sounded and Niccolo looked up. The captain was shot down from behind. Two of his soldiers surged forward and grabbed the next in charge.

"Take our new friend to his new accommodations." Hange ordered "We'll finish up here."

Levi grabbed Niccolo and dragged him into the forest.

"Where are you taking me?" Niccolo asked

"You ask too many questions." Levi said "I am to take part in what's coming next, so someone else will have to escort you to the dungeons."

"Dungeons?" Niccolo frowned

"Of course." Levi said "You are a prisoner of war, after all."

-x-

The trip was spent in silence. Niccolo didn't want to talk, and it seemed that his companion didn't want to either.

"We're here." 

A tall, imposing building loomed over them. A man stepped out of said building.

"I am the supreme chief Zachary." the man introduced himself "You've done well, Springer. I'll take it from here."

Niccolo's companion nodded and went away, taking his horse with him.

"Dismount." Zachary instructed "Then take off your clothes and hand them off to my assistant."

It was only then that Niccolo noticed the man standing behind Zachary, holding prison clothes in his arms.

"Best do as he says." the assistant said nervously "Or he may try his newest invention on you...I am Boris, by the way."

"I'll leave now." Zachary said "And for the record, I am very proud of my machine."

"Machine?" Niccolo asked as he left

"It's a machine that feeds you your own excrement." Boris explained "Trust me, we're better off doing what he says."

Niccolo nodded and began to remove his clothes. Once he was finished, Boris handed him the prison clothes.

"Put these on." he said "It's better than staying in the dungeons without any clothes, trust me. People will gawk at you and it'd be cold."

Niccolo nodded. That sounded reasonable enough.

-Present time-

"I sure am glad you listened." Sasha said solemnly "That machine could put anyone off of their appetite."

"Dearest, nothing and no one could ruin your appetite." Niccolo deadpanned

"True." Sasha giggled "I am the only one allowed to gawk at you, you hear?"

"Likewise." Niccolo said

"You two are so sweet." Kaya remarked from her position on the couch "And to think that you used to hate each other not too long ago..."

"I didn't." Sasha answered automatically "The hate was one-sided."

"You liked my food." Niccolo pointed out "We didn't start liking one another until..."

"Shhh..." Sasha pressed a finger against his mouth "We don't want to spoil the story, do we?"

"Certainly not." Niccolo leaned forward and kissed her "Certainly not."


	3. The Cook and the Soldier

Finally, the kids were otherwise occupied, and so Sasha and Niccolo had some time for themselves.

So they opted to visit the graves of their fellow soldiers.

"They were my friends..." Sasha said sorrowfully "There was a divide between them in the end, but they still chose to be buried in the same grave..."

"Can't say I miss them, especially since both of them were so creepy." Niccolo shuddered "But for your sake, I shall."

"Yeah." Sasha nodded "So glad we came to our senses and sabotaged the whole thing from the inside."

"I remember that one time when I was visited by Eren..." Niccolo shuddered "And knowing what I know now, I regret not killing him there and then. So many people would still be here if I had. But I was a coward..."

"But you wouldn't be here if you did." Sasha entwined her fingers with his "You would've been killed by a firing squad at best. Besides, it is thanks to him that we met properly."

"True enough." Niccolo smiled.

Seven years ago

"You have a visitor." a guard told him "This one is important, so try to be cordial."

Niccolo gave a half-hearted nod.

The cell door opened and a man stepped in. 

The way he stared at him made Niccolo shudder.

"We were told you have skills." he finally said "Our ally vouched for you, and a decision was made to put you to work."

"What kind of work?" Niccolo asked, somewhat anxiously

The other man's eyes twinkled, or so it seemed to Niccolo

"You're to work as our personal chef." he said "But be warned, one of our soldiers is a glutton of the highest degree. I am Eren, by the way. I am to escort you to your new work quarters."

Niccolo nodded, and Eren motioned for him to follow.

He was led to a clearing where many soldiers were gathered. The cooking utensils were placed off to one side, and a line of hungry soldiers was on the other.

"Leave him to me." a woman told the guard as she approached them

They nodded and she smiled at him.

"Work your magic, Niccolo." she told him "These people want to try out your seafood."

Niccolo nodded. This, he could do.

Not that he had a choice in the matter.

He prepared the first batch, and placed it in front of three soldiers.

"There." he said "This is the first time I'm preparing seafood, so I dunno if it's any good..."

One of the soldiers immediately dug in ravenously.

"Hey, slow down!" Niccolo reprimanded "And don't eat so messily!"

"Mr. Niccolo." the soldier said happily "You're a genius!"

Niccolo blushed slightly.

-x-

"Mr. Niccolo." a voice spoke

The same soldier from before approached him. 

"Your talents are wasted on us." she said "I will vouch for you to my superiors and convince them to let you run a restaurant of your own. That way, your food will make more people happy..."

Niccolo paused, and hummed thoughtfully

"Making more people happy...?" he whispered "I can do that..."

"Yes, you can." the soldier grabbed his hands with hers "I am Sasha, by the way. Sasha Blouse!"

"I'll remember that." Niccolo said "If I am allowed to open a restaurant, would you be my first patron?"

"Of course!" Sasha agreed happily

Present

"That was when we first met properly, wasn't it?" Sasha sighed wistfully

"It was." Niccolo affirmed

"We lost so much and yet we gained much as well." Sasha smiled "We have a nice house, lovely children, and my sister is here too."

Kaya looked up and nodded, smiling gently at the couple.

"Speaking of which, today is a day for our monthly visit." Niccolo reminded her

"True." Sasha smiled "Let me put on my traveling clothes, and we'll be on our way."


	4. The Visit (Interlude)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha and Niccolo pay a visit to old acquaintances.

The small forest hut came into the view. It was sturdy and it could withstand any type of weather.

Sasha knew this, because she was one of the people that helped build it.

She came to the door and knocked three times. 

"Coming!" a voice yelled from the inside 

The door was soon opened by a young woman, carrying a child in her arms.

"Say hello, Colt." she tells the boy

"Hello." Colt says

"Hello, Colt." Sasha smiles "Hello, Gabi."

There was no animosity in Sasha's tone, even though she was face-to-face with the very person that almost killed her.

"How is Falco?" she asked

"He is...not well." Gabi frowns "The only reason he is holding on is because we hope a cure will be found before his body gives away completely. You can see him if you like."

She led Sasha and Niccolo into the bedroom. Falco was lying on a bed, looking exhausted. His hair, which used to be blond, was now completely white.

Gabi shot Niccolo a look which clearly said 'I still blame you for this'.

"We have some good news." Sasha chimed in, hoping to ease the tension "The cure is almost complete, and Falco will be the first to receive it."

"Niccolo..." Falco says in a strained voice

Gabi is by his side in an instant, stroking his hair and whispering soothing words to him.

"I am sorry..." Niccolo whispered "It is my fault..."

"It's okay..." Falco smiles "You were acting on the behalf of the woman you loved. If I were in your position, I would've done the same..."

"You have to leave now." Gabi says firmly "I will not have you, the one that sentenced him to an early grave, stay here any longer."


	5. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some secrets are well-kept. Others, not so much.
> 
> This is one of the latter.

In spite of everything, there were still protocols to be upheld, and orders to be followed.

However, when the soldiers gathered up for yet another meeting, there was one missing.

"Where is Sasha?" Levi asked with narrowed eyes

"She is..." Jean started

Connie interrupted him by elbowing him in the ribs, hard.

"She has overslept, Sir!" Connie says "I'll go fetch her."

He made his way into the city and walked down a familiar street. He turned around the corner and looked at the familiar building.

Then he approached and swung open the double-doors.

As expected, Sasha was there, and she was eating some kind of noodle dish.

And she wasn't alone.

"What?" Connie blinked dumbly

"Spaghetti." Niccolo explains, before picking up a clump of noodles and putting it into his mouth "They're a specialty in Marley, though it's not often that you D...I mean, Eldians, get to taste them."

Sasha leaned in and licked a bit of a sauce that was stuck to Niccolo's cheek.

And Connie could have sworn that the Marleyan soldier turned cook was blushing.

"Oh, I see what's going on here." he teases in a sing-song voice.

"Get out of my restaurant." Niccolo raises his ladle threateningly

"You mean I got it wrong?" Connie quips

"Get out." Niccolo repeats with a growl, pointing the ladle towards the door

And Connie does, before Niccolo could grow even more mad.

-x-

"Do you enjoy looking at the stars?" Sasha asks abruptly

"Sometimes I do." Niccolo is lying flat on his back, arms placed below his head

"Look, that one looks like a marshmallow." Sasha says idly, pointing at one of the stars

"Is food the only thing you can think about?" Niccolo asks her out of curiosity

"Not so." Sasha says "I can think of something far more valuable than any food..."

She leans in and gives him a kiss on the cheek, and his face begins to redden.

He leans in to return the favor, and then Levi interrupts.

He lands nearby and glances at them stoically.

"Braus, get back to work." he says "There will be plenty of time to spend with your boyfriend later."

Sasha sighs, but stands up anyway, doing a hasty salute. Then she activates her gear and flies away.

He lingers until Sasha's out of sight, before glaring at the sheepish Marleyan.

"If you do anything to hurt her, then no one will ever find your body." Levi says "I promise you that."

And then he flies away as well.


	6. Contemplation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is destruction of property, and someone dies.

It was the middle of the night when two individuals with covered faces entered the restaurant. One of them lit up a lantern. Then they walked slowly, until they found a hidden stash of the tampered wine. They carried all the bottles off to the sink and began dutifully emptying them into the sink, one by one.

They were almost finished with their task, when Grior came in.

"Now where did I leave that blasted..." he stopped mid-sentence as he saw them

"Awh, shit." the taller figure cursed loudly

The shorter one activated their 3DMG, wrapping an arm around the taller one's waist, before leaving through the window.

-x-

"Yelena." Grior says as soon as he meets her the next morning "We might have a bit of a...situation."

"What kind of situation?" Yelena asks

"The stash of wine filled with Zeke spinal fluid...It has been destroyed." he says

"How many people know about this?" Yelena's eyes narrowed

"Not many." Grior says "We had to tell Niccolo, of course, since we're using his restaurant to do this, though we didn't share all details with him for obvious reasons. And of course, Zeke himself also knows. Aside from them, only a few high-ranking individuals know, myself included."

"Conduct a full investigation." Yelena says "We'll find the culprit, and once we have them, we'll treat them...appropriately."

Behind her, Niccolo, who was serving Sasha, froze for a second. Sasha grasped a plate, pulling it out of his arms gently, thereby breaking him out of his daze.

"It's delicious." she says

"Right." Niccolo smiles at the compliment

"One of them is the native of this island." Grior says "They had access to whatever the thing they use to fly through the air is called."

Yelena gave Niccolo and Sasha a long look before leaving, Grior in tow.

"She is gone." Sasha exhaled

"Good." Niccolo whispers "They're looking into it. But no one can find out that it was us who destroyed those bottles."

"Don't worry." Sasha says "I am an excellent marksman. Yelena will die, and soon."

-x-

Soon, Yelena told herself

Soon she'd know who destroyed the stash, thereby ruining their plan.

She had narrowed the suspect pool tremendously.

All that was left to do was to...

She paused mid sentence as she felt something impact against her head.

Gingerly, she touched the point of impact, only to see that her fingers were now covered with blood.

A bullet, she realized.

And judging from the blood running down her forehead as well, the bullet entered through the back of her head and exited through her forehead.

"I am sorry, Zeke." she whispers "I will be unable to see it through. But I know you can do it, even though the wine was destroyed...You'll find another way. I know you will."

Then she fell down onto the ground, smiling.

Sasha, who stood on nearby roof, with Niccolo in tow, let out a relieved sigh.

"Normally, this is the part where we share a kiss." she says playfully "But we can't let anyone see us and link us with Yelena's death, so we need to go."


End file.
